IPFS
A peer-to-peer protocol for sharing and finding files without a central server.
- Stars
- 23.1k
- Forks
- 1.5k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- —
- Last update
- 1.5 years ago
- Type
- Other
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
This repository is the top-level home for IPFS, a set of open protocols for storing and sharing data across many computers instead of a single central server. Content is addressed by what it contains, so others can retrieve it from any peer that has a copy. The README itself is short and mainly points to the official website, documentation, specifications, and discussion forums.
- Read the official install guide at docs.ipfs.tech to choose an IPFS implementation
- Browse the protocol specifications at specs.ipfs.tech
- Find the academic papers listed in the IPFS Docs
- Ask questions in the community forums at discuss.ipfs.tech
Great for
- Developers who want to learn how peer-to-peer content addressing works
- People looking for the official entry point to IPFS documentation and specs
- Researchers reading the academic papers on IPFS
Not ideal for
- Someone wanting a ready-made app with a click-to-install interface, since this README points to other projects and docs rather than a single program
- Anyone needing guaranteed availability of their data without running or paying for a pinning or hosting service, because peers may go offline
How to get it
- 1
See the README
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ipfs/ipfs - 2
Run it
- Open https://docs.ipfs.tech/install/ to pick an IPFS implementation for your system
- Follow the install guide for that implementation
- Start a node using the instructions in the docs
- Check the forums at discuss.ipfs.tech if you get stuck
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the specifications at specs.ipfs.tech to understand the protocol details
- Use the documentation at docs.ipfs.tech for implementation-specific guides
- Follow the academic papers section for background on design choices
Downloads
Strengths
- Official and widely referenced starting point for the IPFS project
- MIT licensed, so the material and related code can be reused freely
- Links to separate docs, specs, and community resources
Trade-offs
- The README is brief and does not itself describe install steps or commands
- Repository has no releases listed, so this page does not show a version to use
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ipfs (this) | 23.1k | Other | beginner | 1.5 years ago | Developers who want to learn how peer-to-peer content addressing works |
| anoma | 33.6k | App | advanced | 5 months ago | Developers who want to read or contribute to a reference implementation of the Anoma protocol |
| bitcoin | 90.6k | App | advanced | 4 days ago | People who want to verify Bitcoin transactions themselves rather than trust a third party |
| kcp | 17k | Library | advanced | 5 months ago | Developers building their own UDP-based protocol who need reliable delivery |
| peerjs | 13.5k | Library | intermediate | 8 months ago | Web developers adding real-time chat or file-style data exchange between browsers |
| quic-go | 11.8k | Library | advanced | 4 days ago | Go developers building servers or clients that need QUIC or HTTP/3 |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.